GAI Rack Pack holder Crackability

Nikklos

Hey guys - I want to make sure I am prepared to crack some GAI rack holders when they arrive, I have never had one in hand before so quick question:



I have a hammer and screwdriver. Am I going to be able crack these things?

Dialj

If not you can hire a private investigator . One of the senior CU members here once posted a great video from youtube about cracking card holder cases.

mknez

For GAI rack holders, all you need is a good pair of scissors, it isn't a hard plastic case. At least mine weren't.

Good luck!

Nikklos

Thanks. I have been looking for info on the rack holder specifically and haven't found much. DPeck's video is great and I must say that I have become a virtuoso myself cracking PSA graded packs and cards with a hammer and screwdriver. Just can't find anything on GAI racks. Never even touched one to be able to gauge its "crackosity".

Nikklos

Thanks Mknez! Great news!

Dboneesq

Chris ... never had GAI Rack Holders but had hundreds of Pack Holders. I would think they are made out of the same material. As was said already, all you need is a pair of scissors ... and they don't even need to be real sharp! LOL

Nikklos

Thanks Doug! Can't wait to break out the scissors!

grote15

The GAI holders are easy to open with a pair of scissors. Just cut around the seams and it will pop open without even getting close to the rack itself.

vintagefun

Now just looking forward to what you'll be cracking out....

BaltimoreYankee

Count me in as looking forward to the rip too!

galaxy27

Nikklos does not mess around. It'll be something palatable, fo sho.



Good luck in advance...

Nikklos

Nothing all that interesting...just some 1971 Racks!

skrezyna23

Forgive my naivety but is GAI still around? I just want to get racks slabbed if possible, could care less about the grade. (No need to mention the other ways to store them,)

Darin

Originally posted by: Nikklos
Nothing all that interesting...just some 1971 Racks!

This is going to be good! Good luck in advance.

Griffins

Originally posted by: skrezyna23
Forgive my naivety but is GAI still around? I just want to get racks slabbed if possible, could care less about the grade. (No need to mention the other ways to store them,)

Nope, they are done. Your only option is to have Steve wrap them.

flatfoot816

some of the GAI holders--the newer ones--were actually hard plastic--not the soft plastic that the 1st generation holders were. But I popped a '71 w-the hard plastic last year. I used a vise grip and hammer and screwdriver. Turned out the rack was a complete fake as I suspected. It had the '71 Topps BB header card not the usual header card



hope yours is legit!!

1954

good luck on the rip. I can't wait to see how you do.

packCollector

Nikklos, guessing you won the 2 from PWCC last week. Good luck , I was underbidder on one of them and was planning to rip it as well. check the top and bottom seals of each section before you rip them to confirm that the curling is consistent. Those were earlier generation racks and I have some confidence they were legit.

grote15

Moran will tell you if they are legit based on sequence off the sheet. I am wary of 71 racks with player header cards as they are too easily faked (one of the main reasons they also go for lower prices as they are also more plentiful) but I wish you the best with your rip, Chris!

flatfoot816

Originally posted by: grote15

Moran will tell you if they are legit based on sequence off the sheet. I am wary of 71 racks with player header cards as they are too easily faked (one of the main reasons they also go for lower prices as they are also more plentiful) but I wish you the best with your rip, Chris!

here is a link to a thread from a '71 header card rack that I ripped last summer. Def a bad rack and complete fake. Note that the cellophane was aged appropriately and had that "old cello" curl and look.



some members believe that the header cards were only used on series 4 and later racks. The one I ripped was a series 3/4. Pokes some holes in that theory



https://forums.collectors.com/...p;keyword1=flatfoot816">'71 rack rip



for some reason the link is not working. You'll have to search the forum archives for "'71 BB rack rip-player header card-was it real?"

grote15

Series 4 in 71 is when Topps began using the cross-hatch punch hole on the header card instead of the larger circular one. Moran ripped a series 1 rack with a player card as the header (it bore correct punch hole on card) and it was legit as cards followed correct sequence off the sheet and he pulled two Roses, one of which (IIRC) graded PSA 8.

Nikklos

Nikklos

That was the Wally Bunker cell. No, you are not seeing double.

jmoran19

hmmm, will check the sequence when I get home tonight. Where the 2 cards you got twice back to back both times?

John

Nikklos

Wynn and Davis doubles were both back-to-back. Brewers were separate. This is generally the sequence - may be affected by how I put in the scanner. And Alex Johnson came out of the pile at one point so not sure where it was.

jmoran19

My experience from seeing multiple 71 raks opened is two sections Run in perfect sequence 18 cards deep and one is kinda scattered but makes some sense. Not getting a warm fuzzy that this rak is legit. Sorry

grote15

I believe Jim (miniduff) had opened a GAI graded 5th series 71 rack with similar results a while back. I'm wondering if this rack is from that same sequence of cert #s.

Nikklos

Tim - for reference, this cert. # is 10388655

flatfoot816

Originally posted by: jmoran19

My experience from seeing multiple 71 raks opened is two sections Run in perfect sequence 18 cards deep and one is kinda scattered but makes some sense. Not getting a warm fuzzy that this rak is legit. Sorry

what he said--

same as the one I ripped. Question Chris--what is the condition of the cards? ExMt or so?

gemint

Seems like a lot of corner wear on some. I hope it's legit and you have better results with the other sections. The legit rack I opened did have a small amount of corner rounding on the outer cards including a few fused to the plastic. None had wear that mimicked long term corner wear though.

Nikklos

Condition-wise, I think the best of the lot would top out at 7s. No creasing like yours though Manny. I have went through all the cells and it is more of the same. Even more Willie Davis, Jim Brewers, etc. actually there are some tough cards that wouldnt be so bad in a 7 so that's something I guess.



So that's th second bad 1971 rack I've ripped. The last one was from the last National. Did sub 8 cards from that and all got 7s.



I just started on another. A 1971 series 1 rack in a GAI holder and the difference is night and day. Cards are crisper, some even dead centered. I'll scan when I get to the office Monday.

Nikklos

This one is legit. Makes me want to rip more. But honestly how can you really tell?

jmoran19

on the first series rak, did you get this cards too (doing names from memory)?

NL batting leaders
AL strike out leaders
tigers rookies
mets rookies
2nd felix Milan
Joe H. cards
George B pirates
Ted S. brewers
Hal King
Danny F. mets
Les Cain tigers
Johnny Edwards

John

packCollector

that 5th series one was bad. I opened a similar one , I think I got about 15 players all in multiples. I flood and johnson over and over . sorry I guess you didn't win the pwcc racks .

sorry

Nikklos

Nope pack collector not the PWCCs. Yep, mu.tiple Floods and the Johnson brothers - Davey and Alex.

Nikklos

John - of the ones you mentioned I got the following. Some real nice.







This series 1 rack rocked. But no stars, no Munson....

Nikklos

Also pulled these black beauties







My mistake John. George. B. Pirates is also accounted for.

grote15

The cards in the last two posts look very sharp, Chris!

lseecon

Curious. How did the rest of the Series 1 Rack pack end up? The first batch of cards from the second rack you cracked looked super sharp and you believed the rack was legitimate. Any big hits? Were the others in that rack sharp?

Nikklos

Iseecon - the rack had some nice cards. I'll post grades when they pop.